EPT12 Barcelona: Looking good but feeling bad

Matias Jansson is struggling in the High Roller, which might sound odd for a man with one of the larger stacks of the 17 left in play. But it's not his health at the table that is the problem, but his health away from it, as the sight of him right now confirms.

The Swede cuts a sorry figure, cursed by the lurgee which, for lack of a better world, has plagued players and many others at EPT Barcelona for the entire festival. Whether it manifests itself as a cold, a bad throat or a sinus condition, it's not pleasant, particularly when you're playing cards for very high stakes, such as Jansson.

So he's taking what measures he can to get through the experience. He has a wet face towel over his sinuses to try to sooth the pain, plus a box of tissues in his laps. They're all over the place, and as he uses them he places them in a green plastic bag next to his seat. From a distance, with all the tissues, he's either been punched in the face or is watching a Nora Ephron marathon. Every now and again he leans forward to throw an ante into the pot, and looks gaunt as he breaths through his mouth.

Still, his stack looks pretty good, so he has reason to be hopeful. By good I suppose we mean aesthetically so. Players are advised to wash their hands if they win any of them.

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